MORAvational Monday: You vs Society

I had a dream the other night that I just can’t seem to shake off and it got me thinking…

[highlight]If the standards of society weren’t a factor in your life, would you still be doing what you’re doing?[/highlight]

Where we come from is a big part of who we are as people, and I can’t help but think that our societal backgrounds shape us and make us. For me, it’s coming from a very tightly knit Persian-Jewish community in LA (no, we are not like Shahs of Sunset). What kind of community do you come from?

Whether you want to admit it or not, society kind of determines how we live our lives. I’m probably going to get a lot of comments saying that that’s an overgeneralization and I shouldn’t group every single person together. Hold up before you flood my inbox and just think to a time when your heart wanted something, but you couldn’t go after it because it wasn’t the “right” thing to do. Ringing any bells? No? Okay, here’s an example:

Maybe you didn’t take that art class in high school because playing JV basketball would look better for college. Or maybe you picked a more practical major instead of following your heart and going to film school.

Whatever example, it doesn’t really matter. The main focus here is that there are all these reasons as to why people don’t go after what’s right for them. And that is something I’m really trying to wrap my head around because I’m struggling, too. When I go around speaking with my peers I often hear ‘oh I wish I could do that, but it would never be something so and so accepted.’ I get that. I’ve been there way too many times.

I guess what I’m trying to figure out is, what stops us all from following our hearts?

To me, the question is complicated but the answer is simple: it’s easier to be safe and follow the norm. But wait. Is it also easier to regret not trying rather than seeing where your heart takes you?

For today’s MORAvational Monday, I don’t necessarily have the answer. It’s easy for me to say follow your heart, yet the actual act of doing that is so far from easy. Living your true authentic life does not come with a manual, it’s your job to write your own.